Tag: walking

Account of a foot trek in rural Spain originally published in 1928. An adept prose stylist, the young Pritchett isn’t above accepting a lift now and then in his progress from Badajoz to Leon. He’s poor, but richer than the people he bunks down and eats with in a Spain still steeped in suspicion for outsiders.

British traveler sets off on foot to tour various regions of France. He’s interested in people, customs and history and tells unusual lore in a cheerful voice. Thirty pages of the book mix history and writer’s experiences in a vivid tour of 180 kms through the Pyrenees, from St. Jean Pied du Port to Arrens.

First published in 1967, this account of a camping trek through the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River involves prodigious logistics for food and water drops. Animals and Fletcher’s imagination are the only companions on this hike through geologic time.

On a spiritual pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostello, the actress-author encounters other pilgrims and locals who become personal emblems of the journey. She walks the route from St. Jean Pied du Port to Santiago de Compostello in Spain.

The Idaho-born poet Ezra Pound toured southern France on foot during the early years of the 20th century, searching for traces of the era of the Troubadours. The primary audience for this journal of Pound’s 1912 journey may be Pound scholars more than the general reader. Still, anyone interested in Southern France will find lyrical (and sometimes disconcerting) passages in Ezra Pound’s text. Prof. Sieburth’s editing and his own journey in Pound’s footsteps helps link the 12th c. Troubadours, through 20th c. Pound, to 21st c. readers.

A masochist, but a funny one, British adventurer Snow walked from the tip of South America through the continent northwards to cross the Panama Canal, his line of demarcation. His 2001 obituary explains some of the details of the aftermath of the long walk, not contained in the book.

Never accepting a ride, marching at a furious pace burdened by heavy gear and always low on water, Snow was lucky to survive. His mighty will drove him on. The photograph of his feet after months on the road is unforgettable.